GERMANY: Flight by Night

The Germans were adamant: until he raised
$475,000 to pay repair and service bills, Shipowner Hasim Mardin's
precious tanker would not be allowed to leave Bremen harbor. For half a
year the ship bobbed idly at the dockside. Finally Shipowner Mardin's
patience wore as thin as his bank roll.

Last week he slipped into Bremen from Istanbul and in waterfront bars
rounded up the 40 Turkish crewmen of the Raman, an aged (1917),
U.S.-built tanker of 7,800 tons which had found its way into Mardin's
small merchant fleet. Five of the Turks sidled...